Jacinda Ardern reveals newborn daughter's name
New Zealand’s prime minister has introduced the public to her daughter and revealed the newborn’s name.
A beaming Jacinda Ardern and partner Clarke Gayford on Sunday greeted media for the first time since arriving at Auckland Hospital on Thursday.
The 37-year-old began by announcing the baby would be called – Neve Te Aroha Ardern Gayford, or Neve Gayford for short.
“Like everyone we went through the struggle for a matter of months and we kept a shortlist of names and wanted to wait until the baby arrived,” Ms Ardern said.
“We chose Neve because we just liked it. When we met her, we thought she looked like she suited the name.
“Also it means, in various forms, bright and radiant and snow, which seemed like a good combination for Matariki (Maori new year) and for solstice.”
Ms Ardern added that “Te Aroha” was the couple’s way of “reflecting the amount of love” Neve had been shown before she arrived “all of the names we were gifted along the way (by various iwi or Maori people)”.
“It’s also the place where all my family are from,” she said.
She and Mr Gayford had opted to spell the name Neve – as opposed to Niamh for example – for simplicity.
